second chance
by zman123
Summary: Princess only ever wanted to be a Powerpuff girl. To be liked instead of rejected and shunned by her peers and left to live in constant loneliness and grief. But no one cares, not surprising with all the horrible things she did. But what if just one cared. What if one person did believe in second chances. Believe even selfish devils like her should get a second chance. What if?
1. Chapter 1

The next few seconds were a blur for her as the fist swung into her face, causing blood to well from her nose in a flood.

"I don't know what you're doing here, but it can't be good." her assailant yelled "Now take that."

She opened her mouth to complain hotly that she had done nothing, that for once she was in fact just another innocent bystander. But before she could utter a word in her defense, the fist came once more, this time into her stomach. She clutched it in pain.

"We don't want you here." the puncher yelled once more. "Now why don't you back off and leave us all alone."

She sighed. There was no point in saying anything. Buttercup wasn't known as the toughest fighter for nothing. She'd probably only get another punch in reply. So she kept quiet and said nothing.

"You understand you'll never be another Powerpuff girl like us. Or do I have to remind you again." shouted Buttercup. "Now back off, Back off and leave us all in peace. You're not welcome here. Go!"

The other kids took this as a cue to point accusingly at her, gesturing for her to go. The cold silence they shared said more than words ever could.

She left without another word hoping the rest of the day would turn out better.

The lesson bell rang. The teacher organised her and the other students into teams for a project. "Don't go with her. She'll just ruin everything" Buttercup said. The other students quickly took this as a cue to move away from her, leaving her to spend the lesson moping in a corner, all by herself. No one said a thing to her and their eyes slid by her without pause.

Lunch started. She took her tray and sighed as she looked for a place to sit. A student quickly grabbed the tray as she turned away. "Give that back." she asked. The student said nothing, but responded by spilling the bowl of food all over her, so that her outfit was splattered with stains. "How does it feel now" he grumbled "Because this is exactly how you make me and the others feel when we see you." He left, before she could say another word to him.

She turned to see Buttercup staring furiously at her from another corner of the room. Buttercup said nothing, but instead motioned her away with a flick of her arm.

She opened her mouth to protest, that this was not the right way to treat someone with as much elegance and refinement as her, but then quickly decided against that, seeing Buttercup raise her fingerless fist in anger.

The next lesson seemed to crawl by. The seconds crawled like years as every time the teacher turned away, Buttercup would throw a paper plane in her direction and written on them were words so vulgar, so rude that she could not believe anyone would ever use them so casually.

She thought about telling the teacher, but quickly decided against that too. It was Buttercup's words against hers. She would be matching her credibility against Buttercup, a powerpuff girl. The teacher would most likely scold her for telling lies again, or worse, hold her in detention for trying to frame an innocent student. Then the other students would laugh at her even harder.

The lesson ended. She slowly stepped outside, as Buttercup walked beside her. She barely registered what happened in the next second as her balance was lost and she fell face first onto hard gravel. She looked at Buttercup, half mad with anger, half horrified and begging for mercy. Buttercup shrugged and headed off, without a word.

That was final. School had ended and now she could return to the safety of her manor, where she would be safe from the mocking stares of her peers and Buttercup.

Buttercup was not the only Powerpuff girl, she had two sisters Blossom, and Bubbles. Blossom wasn't exactly a saint, but she was slower to anger than her raven haired sister. But then again, Blossom liked her no more than Buttercup, and did not protest when she was around with Buttercup. If Blossom was upset with her sister, she certainly didn't show it. But then again, Blossom wasn't in school today.

Neither was Bubbles. She could bring herself to hate Buttercup for all the times Buttercup rained on her parade, and made her feel small. She could resent Blossom for not doing more to restrain Buttercup when Buttercup attacked her, and for rubbing in the fact she would never be another Powerpuff girl in her nose when Buttercup had already done that.

But she could not hate Bubbles. For some inexplicable reason, she could not hate Bubbles. She tried and failed to resent Bubbles even slightly. And when she did try, she still had the image of that beautiful present she got last year after Santa had placed her on the permanent naughty list where she would stay till the day she died. But on her doorstep that very day she returned home, defeated and humbled, she found that present.

"From Bubbles" it said. "Merry christmas to you. I hope Santa takes you off the naughty list soon."

She could not fathom that. After she had hurt Bubbles and her sisters so much, the last person she expected any sort of gift from was from her, especially how sensitive she was. But there it was.

She shrugged and trudged home, trying very hard not to look back.

The one though she could not help but dwell on was that things might have been different if Bubbles was not sick today.  
Something about Bubbles made her seem too nice.

Her one birthday present on her last birthday when like usual no one came, came from Bubbles.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there." it said on the card "My sisters needed me. But I hope you have a nice birthday."

She quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Bubbles was indeed nice, saintly even, but that didn't mean anything. Bubbles was another Powerpuff girl, and to them, she was a sworn enemy. Bubbles's responsibilities were to fight off evil and keep Townsville safe. A noble goal but unfortunately, to them, she was just another evil. In fact she was only second to Mojo Jojo, Him and the Rowdyruff boys on the list of enemies they were not to trust on any account.

Except that they didn't go on the naughty list, while she did. Hardly a coincidence.

Sometimes she thought about asking Bubbles for help. But Bubbles probably wanted nothing to do with her. She didn't blame her, she had wronged Bubbles and her sisters many times in the past and they had fought over many matters, most of them started by her.

She sighed as she trudged to her mansion, and stepped in, and up the stairs without a word.

"You're not a Powerpuff girl, and you never will be" came a voice in her head.

A surge of pain welled from her nose once more, and she clutched it to stop it bleeding.

"All I wanted" she sobbed as she remembered the hurtful words Buttercup had said to her "Was to have friends just like the Powerpuff girls. Was that, really too much to ask?"


	2. Chapter 2

She buried her face in her pillow, wallowing in self pity. It had been a long, tough day. She was so exhausted today that she did not even have the energy to yell for her father. Several times she opened her mouth to curse the Powerpuff girls for embittering her miserable life, for not letting her be another powerpuff girl and for putting her on the naughty list. But today, she simply didn't have the energy.

Buttercup had never been particularly nice to her. But it had to be said that today seemed to be an off day, even for her. Buttercup was violent, easy to enrage, quick tempered. Normally, a small insult such as "you look funny" was enough to send Buttercup over the edge. Today, a small breath in her direction was enough to be considered a provocation. Buttercup saw her, and snapped.

Not that Buttercup would get in trouble. She was a Powerpuff girl and Powerpuffs didn't get in trouble. They got praise, attention and everyone's love. She didn't.  
They were cool. She wasn't.

"I'll get you one day Buttercup" she wanted to say but decided it wasn't worth it.

She continued to wallow. Telling her daddy would get her nowhere. Not that he'd even say anything back to her anyway. He never said anything. Blood welled from her nose and she wiped it. It hurt. It hurt badly. Buttercup's fist shattered bone, and she was lucky her nose was even intact.

She sighed. She was a villain, and Buttercup was a hero. Heroes got rewarded, Villains got shunned. Buttercup was right, she was wrong. She would always be wrong.  
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. "Life ain't fair loser" came Buttercup's mocking voice in her head "Get used to it and quit your stupid whining."

Days had passed. Bubbles's cold finally left her, and the coughing gradually began to lessen. Meanwhile Blossom's head felt less like magma and she could finally eat without the food burning her throat as she swallowed.  
Bubbles lay without twitching as the alarm clock rang. It wasn't easy being sworn protectors of the good city of townsville. But it had to be done. The good innocent people in Townsville did not deserve a cruel, barbaric death at the hands of the rotten, satanic horrors that would surely persecute it without their intervention. Last night's fight had worn her out. Despite her icy hands, and aching head, she and Blossom had had to drag themselves out of bed in a desperate attempt to stop yet another cold heated assassin from taking yet another innocent life.

They were only just able to overpower him, but their ailments which had kept them away from school for weeks, still weakened them and the assassin despite being badly wounded during the fight, was able to escape.

Buttercup was nowhere to be found during the fight and Blossom was furious. The sound of furious shouts and yells ringing out from downstairs eventually snapped Bubbles awake. She could not take one step from the safety of her bedroom before her ears were assaulted by an ear piercing growl which could just as likely have been from Buttercup protesting that it was not her fault that a fight broke out while she was away during her night of the week out, as Blossom screaming that as her team member, Buttercup should have been more vigilant and followed instructions from her, the team leader more clearly.

Bubbles wanted to rush downstairs and demand that her sisters stop fighting, but she could not take one step further before a high pitched shriek powerful enough to shatter glass, froze her blood and she shook her head, trying very hard not to cry.

She could do nothing but add fuel to the fire if she joined in. Being the youngest of her sisters gave her very little voice in an argument and it was no different now. So she contended herself by closing the door and lying back in bed, with her ears covered, hoping the tension would die down soon.

This wasn't the first time her sisters had broken into an argument this fierce, and certainly wouldn't be the last. That didn't make it hurt less, and she was too hurt to cry. She had used up her tears crying the previous times an argument like this had broken out. It didn't help. "Look. You just made your sister cry, you selfish monster" Blossom had yelled upon seeing her cry. "It was you're fault. Stop accusing me. I was a good sister. You're the one to blame" Buttercup had shouted in reply and that argument had come to blows which left Blossom and Buttercup with stitches in their faces for several days after that.

Bubbles winced upon remembering the painful memory. Part of her begged her to run downstairs to comfort her arguing sisters, but she forced herself to lock the door to the bedroom, knowing her presence would only worsen the problem.

Just as it had worsened many problems, Buttercup sometimes told her when Blossom wasn't around.  
"Stop being such a whiny crybaby and learn when to give those no good criminals a good thrashing like they deserve" Buttercup said.

And Blossom would sometimes nod slowly, acknowledging that Buttercup did have a point. And that Bubbles was often too hesitant to spring into fights.

"But fighting is bad" Bubbles once protested feebly "Killing is bad. Killing is wrong. Two wrongs, don't make a right."

"But it's our job." Buttercup simply growled "It's what we have to do to protect the city. And if you can't stomach giving the bad guys a knuckle sandwich or two, maybe you should just, you should just join that spoiled, bratty Princess in her mansion so you can cry together about how neither of you make a good Powerpuff girl"

Blossom had quickly grabbed Buttercup upon the mention of the name Princess, and clasped a hand over her mouth before dragging her away. But the damage was done.

Bubbles tried to fall back to sleep but with no success. The yelling from downstairs was too loud.


	3. Chapter 3

The argument downstairs was still as loud and raging as ever when Bubbles opened her eyes once more. She could not stand to see her two sisters argue like this a second longer. Cautiously, she opened the door and stepped out of the room, eyes half closed, hands trembling.

A shocking site met her eyes. Blossom and Buttercup were rolling on the ground, struggling with each other. Years of self defence training had collapsed to the level of two drunks grappling on a pavement. Buttercup and Blossom yelled as they struggled with each other, but Bubbles had lost track of what they were saying.

"Stop, please" begged Bubbles "Stop fighting. Stop. Please. This is overkill"

But she might well have been talking to a statue for the good her words did.

She sighed, and managed, with strength she didn't know she had, to prise her sisters apart.

"See." said Bubbles "fighting is wrong."

"But Bubbles" stated Blossom "Buttercup disobeyed orders."

"You don't own me Blossom" retorted Buttercup.

"It was her fault" yelled Blossom and Buttercup in unison, staring back at each other "She started it"

"It doesn't matter who started it" sighed Bubbles sadly "But let's just be glad no one got seriously hurt this time."

Her sisters continued to glare at each other but managed to nod slowly and grunt in acknowledgement.

"So do you see how violence is bad now" pleaded Bubbles looking desperately at her sisters, even though they did not look back at her "Do you see how fighting unnecessarily only leads to more pain. Do you see how a small argument can lead to so much pain. Do you see my point now."

"But Bubbles" explained Blossom, clearly very tired "Its what we have to do to protect Townsville. I'm sorry Bubbles but that's just the way things are."

"Not to mention they asked for it" added Buttercup in agreement "If they hadn't been up to no good in the first place, we wouldn't have to give them a knuckle sandwich."

"But. Two wrongs don't make a right. Miss Keane said so" protested Bubbles sadly "And... revenge is bad. You can't, you can't just go around fighting people you don't like. That's not, that's not how to make friends. That's not what friendship is about."

"Have you been watching too many of that stupid cartoon lately" complained Buttercup impatiently. "Because if that's what you've come to tell us about, then I'm not listening. Come back and talk to me when you've got a grip. I'm tired of this.". And Buttercup stormed off.

Blossom waited until Buttercup's footsteps had died away before she spoke again.

"Bubbles, I know that you don't like violence. I know you want to be friends with everyone and for everyone to get along. You're ingredient is sugar, and, I understand why you feel that way. But, you have to understand, there are just some people you can't make friends with. And when those people threaten those you love, sometimes to fight back is your only choice. I know its difficult, but its what we have to do. I don't like this any more than you do, but as a Powerpuff girl, it's your responsibility to protect those you love."

"But can't we at least try" asked Bubbles. "Can't we at least try to find a way to get along."

"I'm sorry Bubbles but, monsters and people, they just, its not that easy for them to just suddenly get along. Monsters are monsters. People are people. And monsters are evil and try to kill innocent people. Monsters just don't, don't have a concept of right and wrong. You have to understand that Bubbles. Trying to make friends with monsters will only end badly."

Bubbles nodded slowly, clearly still in denial. "What about forgiveness?"

"Forgiveness? What forgiveness? Why should we forgive monsters and criminals who don't deserve it."

Bubbles closed her eyes, struggling to stop a fresh flow of tears.

"What about Princess? What about the Rowdyruff boys? They're not monsters. Why can't we at least forgive them."

"The Rowdyruff boys were created by mojo to destroy 're our sworn enemies and we can't argue with that. And Princess is just a spoiled brat who doesn't realise the true purpose of being a Powerpuff girl. They don't understand the concept of right and wrong. How can we forgive them?"

Bubbles thought for a while. Then, after what seemed like a century but in reality was only a few long seconds, she decided to answer the question, choosing her words carefully.

"Maybe we could, teach them?"

"I wish it were that simple Bubbles. But I don't think they'd even listen to us."

But Bubbles only shook her head. Blossom only said that because she hadn't tried. She realised that she wasn't going to convince Blossom otherwise. She realised that once again, her sisters had regarded her opinion as being naive and useless.

Bubbles realised that if she wanted to go down the path of peace and friendship, she was on her own. She would have to do this without the help of her sisters, if she wanted to show them that it was possible to make Townsville a safer place without cruelty and violence, and that people could change.

"You're wrong Blossom" whispered Bubbles to herself sadly "People can change if they want to. People don't stay evil forever."

Bubbles had not been blind to the fact she had not seen Princess at school for quiet a few days now. Nor had she been blind to the quiet anger in Buttercup's voice when she talked about Princess. And though as a Powerpuff girl she was not supposed to show sympathy to so called "villains", sympathy is what Bubbles secretly felt, despite doing her best not to let it show.

She did feel small increments of pity when she saw princesses reaction that day when Blossom didn't make her a Powerpuff girl. And she did feel small amounts of pity ever since.

She had no obligation to care for a remorseless criminal, yet deep down she did feel that Princess would have made a good Powerpuff girl had Blossom heard her out. The same way she felt that the Rowdyruff boys were not as bad as they seemed as they too were only trying to please Mojo in the same way her and her sisters were only trying to please the Professor.

But there was no point in telling Blossom and certainly not Buttercup.

Kindness was one of the most important elements out of the six elements of harmony. And being kind meant being kind and fair to everyone, even people who you didn't think deserved it. Otherwise, you didn't have kindness. And without kindness, you didn't have friendship.

All friendships started with the decision to be kind, rather than cruel.


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark outside when Bubbles silently crept out of bed, careful not to disturb her sisters.

She opened the window slowly as quietly as she could and left the house without being observed by anyone. She glanced round cautiously to check she was not being watched as she continued to fly into the shadow of the night, unobserved and unnoticed.

They called her naive, they called her soft but most hurtful of all, they called her baby. They had not seen all of her yet was Bubbles's thought as she headed towards the forest near Mojo's lab, knowing every bit of what she was doing was deeply wrong and went completely against everything she as a sworn protector of the town was supposed to stand for. She pushed those hurtful thoughts painfully away as she landed in a clearing, where he stated he would be waiting.

He was already waiting there. He sat staring blankly at the pool of water, seemingly mesmerised by the reflection on its clear surface. At first Bubbles thought he had not noticed her but eventually after several long, tense seconds, he eventually stood up shivering as he did so and still shivering he slowly turned to face Bubbles, the remaining tears in his once shiny teal eyes and his nervous smile a testament to his fear.

He held out his hand and bade her welcome in a quavering voice. "I'm glad you came" he eventually managed to stutter, covering his eyes with his arm as he did so.  
He didn't wait for Bubbles to reply. Instead he took her gently by the hand and led her further into the woods where he knew they would not be seen or heard.

"My brothers haven't given me anything to eat today" he confessed, rubbing his stomach. "They said I didn't do well enough in the last mission and that I messed it all up. So they won't feed me until next week."

Bubbles nodded sympathetically. She knew that as much as the blonde boy she now walked with hated fighting her, it was his duty. Just as it was her duty to fight against him and his brothers whenever they came on the scene, which would no doubt be very, very soon. Not that this would be the first time, thought Bubbles with a deep sigh, nor the last time.

"I don't want to do this" complained the boy, "I want us to be friends and for all this to stop."

Bubbles placed a hand on his shoulder hoping to comfort him but it only seemed to wind him up more.

He let out a deep growl of misery and pain as he took his hand away from Bubbles. "Why can't your sisters understand me like you do?, Why?, Why?!" And then realising he was shouting, he quickly shook his head apologetically.

"Its alright Boomer. I know what you mean. I don't like this anymore than you do." confessed Bubbles. "I understand the pain. I know you don't hate me or my sisters. But still, we have to fight."

Boomer nodded. "I'm glad you realise. I'm glad one person does care."

He closed his eyes, clearly trying without success to hold back a fresh flow of tears streaking down his cheeks, but quickly rubbed them and pulled himself together.

They talked for a few moments, mainly centring their conversation on how they wished the conflict between their siblings would end and how as much as they wished to, they could not leave their siblings behind despite their attraction towards each other.

"My brothers can basically treat me however they like" stated Boomer sorrowfully "Because to them, I'm a baby. To them, my opinion will always be wrong."

"Then why don't you leave them?" asked Bubbles "If they're really that cruel and spiteful to you, you don't have to stay with them."

"My brothers are my brothers and I can't just leave them like that. Just as you haven't left your sisters yet. Why haven't you left your sisters yet when time and time again you told me how badly they hurt you."

Bubbles was at a loss for words.

"You should know better than anyone else why I can't just leave my brothers" sighed Boomer. "Brick might not be the best brother in the world (Okay so not the best is a bit of an understatement) but at the end of the day" Boomer paused for a moment in deep reflection. "He needs me, I need him. We need each other."

Boomer covered his eyes "And if I left, they'd probably suspect you of kidnapping me. Then my brothers would hate you even worse than they did now." He shook his head. "This isn't as easy as you think it is Bubbles. It just isn't. I understand that nothing excuses what I've done, but honestly it is Mojo who forces us to do this."

Bubbles only nodded, once again at a loss for words.

Boomer sighed once more as he gazed into the dark night sky, devoid of any stars.  
Then he turned back to Bubbles, rubbing his stomach as he did so.

"I don't suppose you have anything you could give me to eat do you?" he asked, clearly trying to mask his desperation.

Bubbles nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry" she whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small hunk of meat and a small piece of bread and cheese. She could tell from the way she had seen his brothers yelling at him angrily from a distance earlier foreshadowed that this would be his sorry fate.

"I'm sorry there isn't more" she added, almost breaking into tears and sobs "But this is all I could find. I hope its enough."

Boomer almost cried as he eyed the small heap of vittles and grabbed them with supernatural speed. Bubbles cracked a smile for the first time that day as she watched Boomer cram the food into his gaping mouth, eating so quickly that she almost feared he would make himself sick.

Tears welled once more from Boomer's pale blue eyes, only this time tears of pure joy and gratitude as he swallowed the meagre portion of food, almost all in one go, very nearly choking himself as he did so.

"Th, thank you" he stuttered as he finished the last morsel, unable to hold himself together as the tears continued to flood down his cheeks, staining his outfit.

He continued to cry and cry for several minutes as Bubbles patted him gently on the back to try and relieve him.

"Once again, I owe you one Bubbles. Once again I owe you.".

He quickly dabbed at his tears and glanced around the wood cautiously to check they were indeed unseen and that no one had found them.

"Brick said we were going to rob another bank next week." he explained, his voice choked with fear and concern. He looked Bubbles in the eye as he spoke to show he was not lying.

Then without a word from Bubbles, he began to go deeper in to detail, giving Bubbles all the information which he believed to be true. That it would happen next week although he knew not yet which day. That the bank was the 5th building on a certain street called Blue street, about five blocks of distance away from where the mayor's office was. That Brick said it would happen in the dead of night when no one was looking so that they could make a clean getaway. But most of all that he wanted no part in this, and that he wished for Bubbles and her sisters to stop him at any cost.

Bubbles thanked him as he finished. Though she believed him, it was clear she was amazed at how much he was willing to disclose to her. Amazed that though he could not completely betray his brothers for the greater good, how much he was willing to risk.

Boomer only nodded in reply. "Just, Just don't tell my Brothers I told you any of this." he pleaded.

"I won't" promised Bubbles.

Boomer glanced once more anxiously around. "I should go now." he admitted sadly. "Thanks for the food."

Bubbles nodded. "I should go too. My sisters will be wondering where I am."

They waved goodbye and began walking in separate directions, looking back one last time at each other to apologise deeply that despite their recently founded friendship with each other, the next time they would most likely meet was in a brutal fight. A brutal fight where they would show each other no mercy despite holding no grudge.

Boomer stared at the ground as he walked, deep in thought.

Did they really have to fight each other? The Powerpuff's seemed like such good people. Well Bubbles at least.

Would he really have to spend the rest of his inevitably long life committing what he now knew to be atrocities against civilians he now knew to be innocent after listening to the advice of dear Bubbles.

Would his brother's never take the hint and just listen to what he had to say?

He didn't know the answer to any of these questions.

The hurtful thoughts followed him into his dreams as he sneaked back to his trailer, and collapsed on the grass outside, too tired to get back into bed.

He would speak not a word to anyone what he saw that night in his sleep. Suffice to say, he would awaken the next morning screaming his lungs out causing his two very irritated brothers to reluctantly get out of bed and ask him what the heck was wrong this time?

He only shook his head, he said he was fine. But for the rest of the day, he avoided looking Brick directly in the eye when he spoke to him.

He wanted nothing more than to be with Bubbles. To be with the good Samaritan who gave him kindness when his brothers gave none. But the other part of him, the part that sadly acknowledged that he was created by his father Mojo to oppose and not to befriend Bubbles still kept him.

He buried his head in his hands that day when no one was looking and groaned. What he really stood for, most days he didn't know anymore.

But he did make one promise to himself that day when Bubbles carried him out of the freezing cold and nursed him back to health despite his protests.

He knew since that day that a part of him belonged to Bubbles now. And that killing her now, would be akin to killing part of himself.


	5. Chapter 5

She spent the day being pushed away by the other children. Not that she deserved any better, she briefly thought to herself.  
But she quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She was princess, the most eligible kid for miles, and her daddy gave her everything she wanted. Of course the other kids should like her instantly and treat better. They were simply ungrateful and backwards, simple as.

"No, they're the spoiled brats, they're wrong to treat me so badly" she muttered to herself, as the other children in the classroom tried their best not even to glance in her direction. Their eyes slid by her without pause and when she waved in front of one boy to ask him for a pencil she could borrow, his mood was bland and unchanging as he turned away.

He did not look at her again.

The day came and went as usual.

Little did she know what waited for her around the corner.

As Princess walked sadly back home, once again lamenting her never ending sorrow with silent sobs, so engrossed in self pity was she that she did not notice the banana peel some careless litter bug had dropped onto the ground.

Time seemed to accelerate several times as she skidded forward, unable to stop. She screamed as she collided with the last person she wanted to lay eyes on after another long, hellish day. Buttercup the brute.

The bag of food Buttercup was carrying dropped onto the ground, as Princess slowly stood up.

Chips, the remains of a burger that had fallen apart littered the ground, and a large wet stain of some beverage covered Buttercup's shirt.

Buttercup only glared at Princess wordlessly as she too stood up and slowly tried to wipe the stain away with no success.

Princess knew without needing to be told that Buttercup wasn't the calmest woman. She also knew that Buttercup tended very much to punch first and ask questions later. The sound of wailing sirens and the image of a red flaring light roared in her mind. But oh well, sometimes one had to look at the positives and not the negatives.

At least there was a positive side. She would enjoy a calm, relaxing rest after another long hectic day, and pass the evening on a soft comfy bed sleeping. A soft comfy bed in the emergency room.

Princess turned to run, to flee but Buttercup's baleful stare rooted her to the spot and she found herself unable to move a muscle.

She tried belatedly to apologise, to plead for mercy from her sworn enemy, but she found herself unable to form the words. Was it because the cat had got her tongue, or was it because the seething hatred she had built up for Buttercup over the years had grown too strong. Either way the apology came out as a ragged gasp.

"Now you're just asking for it" sighed Buttercup, her voice pure venom.

Princess shook her head, unable to find words to say.

"I'm glad you've read my name in the ads." Buttercup said, grinning. "Because butt kickings are free, this week only."

"I'm. I'm sorry" Princess managed to stutter."

"You're never going to be a Powerpuff girl, so stop trying to play nice to me. What you've already done is unforgivable and I don't forgive you. Not to mention Santa put you on the permanent naughty list, so you'll never get another present for as long as you live. Serves you right."

Not from you anyway, thought Princess to herself. How wrong she would soon be proven.

"But perhaps this is your lucky day" remarked Buttercup, rubbing her finger-less hands together.

Princess only closed her eyes, still unable to move or reply.

"I've prepared a great present for you." explained Buttercup.

"What?" Princess coughed out, a single tear streaking down her cheek.

"A nice and tasty knuckle sandwich". And before Princess could react, a giant fist covered her entire vision as it got larger and larger.

And then it hit her, and the world around her blurred.

She didn't even see the next blow as it crashed into her.

Then the world went black.


End file.
